Sophie Cruvelli
also Sophie Johanne Charlotte Crüwell, Sofia Cruvelli
Birthplace: Bielefeld, Kingdom of Prussia
Sophie Cruvelli was a German soprano, born Crüwell, who created Hélène in Verdi's Les vêpres siciliennes at the Paris Opéra in 1855. A pupil of Francesco Lamperti in Milan, she made her debut in 1847 as Odabella in Attila, and Verdi's early operas suited her large, not always controlled voice. She sang in London from 1848 and in Paris from 1851, joining the Opéra in 1854, where she once vanished for a month in mid-season. After Les vêpres she married Vicomte Vigier and left the stage, and in 1881 organised the first performance of Lohengrin in France.
Creations
- La Duchesse Hélène — Les vêpres siciliennes
Written from
- Forbes, E. (1992) 'Cruvelli [Crüwell], (Jeanne) Sophie (Charlotte)', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, p. 1021.
- Wikipedia (2026) Sophie Cruvelli. (Accessed: 30 September 2026). The English article.
- Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'Cruvelli, Sofia', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 607.
- Wikipedia (2026) Achille Georges Vigier. (Accessed: 6 October 2026). The French article.